Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson has joined the “End Mountain Top Removal” campaign by starring in a video aimed at stopping this controversial and environmentally destructive process. The EPA defines this practice as, â€œMountaintop removal/valley fill is a mining practice where the tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal. Mountaintop removal can involve removing 500 feet or more of the summit to get at buried seams of coal. The earth from the mountaintop is then dumped in the neighboring valleys.â€

If you ever want to read a book that will infuriate you and put to rest all those feel-good clean coal commercials you’ve seen on TV, take some time to read Lost Mountain by Erik Reece. Much like this website that Woody and Willlie are supporting, it documents the utter destruction of a mountain and its entire environment through mining and blasting. The mountain literally disappears in less than a year–and the surrounding nature and habitat is decimated.

Here is the link to the movie featuring Woody Harrelson. Included is an original rendition of ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ by Willie Nelson. Please also visit ilovemountains.org for more information on why coal is not the resource this country should bet its future on.

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About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

Wow, this is great! A month ago, I heard a lecture from poet Wendell Berry and a representative from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a community activist group. They also oppose, strongly, mountaintop removal. Neat talk.

Thanks for this post! The people of the Appalachian coalfields need all the help they can get. Please spread the word to your friends and family to help end moutaintop removal coal mining. Visit iLoveMountains.org to find out how. Thanks for caring!

Algae: Easily replace all Fossil Fuels: coal, oil, and nuclear. Get some Celebs on This!!!

Don’t let big business and the government stall this (the government slowed it in 1996). It would also REVERSE global warming. Conservation prevents future CO2. This reduces EXISTING CO2.

Algae instead of Corn for Bio-Fuel

Algae multiplies so quickly and produces so much oxygen per square foot that ponds with a total surface area five times the size of Colorado would be enough to start to reverse our growing CO2 problem. Corn nets approximately 81 gallons bio-diesel per acre. Soy nets 41 gallons per acre. Algae yields as high as 15,000 gallons per acre. Enough biodiesel to replace all petroleum transportation fuels could be grown in 15,000 square miles. That 15,000 square miles works out to roughly 9.5 million acres – far less than the 450 million acres currently used for crop farming in the US, and the over 500 million acres used as grazing land for farm animals. Algae triples in volume every day (unlike corn with 1 crop per year). Algae converts CO2 to O2; is 30% oil; and converts easily to Bio-Fuel. Conservation reduces present and future production of CO2. Algae reduces EXISTING CO2. The government needs to quit looking at corn and begin massive and wholesale funding and grants for algae. A new state agri-business of algae farms? Or grants for ocean farming? Algae, pond scum also a planet saver? Yes, if we take action!